Humpty Dumpty Sat On a A Wall...

The ribbon is fundamentally flawed for complex design environments. It incorrectly co-joins nouns (the thing being built) with the verbs (the action that you can preform on the thing being built). Every action is contextualized and the result is a confusing mental map of icons that subjectively expose or reveal themselves with each decision. What's it like? Try limiting your vision through one eye while staring down a paper towel roll. Now try to walk around. You get the idea.

I've received a number of phone calls, emails and instant messages from past associates inside the factory telling me the ribbon is half-baked and they're frustrated that they weren't able to think freely with regard to creating an elegant, cross-product GUI. Instead - the ribbon was imposed as a corporate mandate. While they're not able to say anything publicly, what is being said publicly ("Here's why the ribbon is better...") is a complete contradiction to what is said privately ("Look - you know we hate this, but it was forced upon us...").

Consider this: if the ribbon is a great metaphor for design rich environments, what did Microsoft (who developed the ribbon) come up with for the Expression and Silverlight suite? Not a "ribbon" in sight:

* http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/e...erface_web.jpg
* http://www.microsoft.com/expression/
* http://silverlight.net/Showcase/
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverlight

Sloppy seconds anyone? Looks like Microsoft isn't willing to eat their own dogfood - which kinda says something. Autodesk must expose the existing the UI in Revit 2010 and then do their own rigorous homework with regard to a cross product look and feel. Poor design aside, I consider it inexcusable that no business strategy was put into place that allowed companies time to adjust other than "upgrade and get over it."

And now ADSK's response? "Well, the ribbon is here to stay - so help us make it better." I've got even a better idea - stop disrupting your customers. The corporate vanity that believed a "common look and feel" across design applications was more important that what the users still can't do with those same applications is deeply irresponsible considering that no customer, no user group, no user forum, no wish list has put the redesign of the Revit GUI high on their request list.

The result? It'll take more years and more customer and shareholder millions to "fix" what is now more broken than what it was meant to improve.

What an unfortunate and enormous waste of customer and shareholder value and good will. So many millions, so many years, so much human effort has been spent making something "new" and yet not making it better.